Disgusted by Pyrimid Schemes!

[cwish001]

Hello Everyone,

This is just a rant about pyrimid schemes and other scams that take advantage of people who want to have their own business.
Things like quickstar, modiva, prepaid legal, ect just seem to really irk me. Several of my friends and even myself years ago have been ripped of in some way by these programs. In fact, I don't know to many entrepreneurs that haven't tried one of these things at least once. These programs target people who want something better and take advantage of them in the most horrible way. Whats worst is they cause people to alienate themselves from their familily and friends by encourging them to sell the product to relatives. People get burnt by these things and then think this is what entreprenurship is and it is not. Probably 3/4 of this forum has been in one of these programs some time or another lets hear what you think. Maybe I had a bad experience and am just wrong. I am just saying I don't like scams that build up someones dreams and exploits them. It is just sick.

[crose23]

I definitely agree. I about fell into one of those traps, but I was to busy with school and sports, thank god haha!

[optiwizer]

I think it is what you make of it. Network marketing has its pros and cons. I had a stint with Amway when I was in college. Learned alot about marketing and positive attitude. I went to the national convention and they had Norman Vincent Pearle speak, which was definetely worth it. Did not get rich, but it laid the foundation for my future.

[HarveyJ]

I'd like to think a real entrepreneur is smart enough to realize the value of research.
Sure, it's a bad thing that you got ripped off, but did you do the research before putting the money down? If not, why not? You really can't blame a conman for suckering you. They're just looking to make money, like you are... they're just not ethical about it...

Would you go out and buy a major product like a car or computer before doing any research, or do you just let a salesmen give you a line?
Same logic applies to all things in life.

[rejoice]

"I am often asked if network marketing is a pyramid scheme. My reply is that corporations are really pyramid schemes. A corporation has only one person at the top, generally the CEO, and everyone else below. A true network marketing business is the exact opposite of a traditional business model. The network marketing business is designed to bring you to the top not keep you at the bottom. A true network marketing business does not succeed unless it brings people to the top." -Robert Kiyosaki, author of the New York Times and international best-seller listed book Rich Dad Poor Dad

Now the problem is when people like your 'sponsor/upline' (that sponsored you) work at getting themselves to the top instead of providing the systems and training that teach you how to become a leader and an expert... 99% of people in network marketing fail because they try and 'sell' the opportunity when they should actually go and learn how to market themselves and their team... network marketing has nothing to do with sharing the opportunity with friends and family... it has nothing to do with the business opportunity in the first place (that is a byproduct)... it's all about systems, marketing, teamwork, did i mention marketing, and automation

conference calls, regional meetings, 3 ways, handing out flyers, pitching your family and friends, and all that other crap is designed to make you fail at network marketing because it has everything to do with not having a target market and pitching everyone... whilst the company sells on emotion as long as you stay plugged in... when the emotion and bank account runs dry then people feel remorse and fuck off (rightly so)... join someone who is committed as a leader and an expert to provide the education and guidance as opposed to the supportive phone calls (leave those to someone else)

'selling' the opportunity can't be duplicated as I very quickly learnt... lending a hand and helping your team get onto autopilot is the steepest and hardest learning curve I ever went through... I actually went and invested time and money into my education

[cwish001]

HarveyJ,

You are absolutly right though it hurts to say. My rip of happened several years ago when I was right out of navy boot camp. I rushed with a bunch of my friends after hearing a snazy presentation. My more experienced, college educated self would never do this today. You point out a truely important factor for avoiding these schemes. My anger rises not from what happened to me (losing only arount $400) but rather the concept of exploiting naive people who really want to have a business. I just think it is heartless and it get people who might other wise be great entr someday down. On the other hand I learned a lot for these failures and others which made me the wiser. The key point if it sounds to good it is!

[jayrobinson15]

I think network marketing is a great way to make money if it's done the right way. Businesses like Quixtar and Herbalife could be destructive and scams if they are done the wrong way, by listening to your upline and following their cult systems, but if you do them the right way, with Internet marketing and an automated sysytem, with any good mlm, there is a lot of money to be made and no one has to be taken advantage of or scammed. In fact, your downline should only be helped and make more and more money as you grow your business. It's too bad more people are not aware of the things Rejoice talked about in the above post, because you are right on the money man. Network marketing can be an awesome business if you know what you're doing.

[ponder_Lee]

Hi everyone im new to this but i just came across this section about pyrimids schemes I started at a pyrimid scheme in a sister company of a company called "cobra" in manchester (uk). I was basically promoting chatities getting people to sign up using emotion and impulse factors to get them to sign up, not a contract, but wanted people to donate on a monthly basis through the bank. I thought working on behalf of charaties was a good thing until i found out that 12 months of the person signing up went staight to cobra which i now think is a scam. I understand this is probably the business deal between them but i also found by speaking to alot of people, people sumtimes do 12 month rotors in which they donate to a charity for 1 year then switch to another charity for 1 year. I couldnt wait to get out and since left the company. Im open to any of your views on this, will be much appreciated. Lee

[MattV]

I really hope you're not packaging all multi-level marketing into pyramid "schemes". Some of them may be, some just aren't. The problem is that many of these treate the employee/associate as a customer. IF you LET YOURSELF be treated like that, Imean if you don't ask to overtly see the "scheme" and where you're at, then , it's basically not the company's problem.
I gained a lot of in the face marketing skills through a company that benchmarked the AmWay scheme.

[rejoice]

the cobra group make themselves out to be a direct sales and marketing company, which it is in essence... that is their product, they get contracts with major organisations and then tell their independent sales and marketing companies (distributors) to either sell electricity contracts or raise charity funds, etc... it's not a scam

it is 100% commission and you can make great money with it

[crackah]

the cobra group make themselves out to be a direct sales and marketing company, which it is in essence... that is their product, they get contracts with major organisations and then tell their independent sales and marketing companies (distributors) to either sell electricity contracts or raise charity funds, etc... it's not a scam

it is 100% commission and you can make great money with it

Yeah they are. They are also crap!

Early last year I needed a job, and me and a mate applied for 20 different casual/part time jobs. They along with a few others got back to me. had a interview, they gave me a trial. Me and my mate went. Saw what it was and we both left ASAP. They took me out to the other side of Melbourne so I trained it home.

Bugger that, there are better things to do than work for those losers.

Worst part was the ad description wasn't that you would be selling door to door, but you would be doing promotions for different companies. It was very vague and missleading. .

[rejoice]

Yeah they are. They are also crap!

Early last year I needed a job, and me and a mate applied for 20 different casual/part time jobs. They along with a few others got back to me. had a interview, they gave me a trial. Me and my mate went. Saw what it was and we both left ASAP. They took me out to the other side of Melbourne so I trained it home.

Bugger that, there are better things to do than work for those losers.

Worst part was the ad description wasn't that you would be selling door to door, but you would be doing promotions for different companies. It was very vague and missleading. .

let me guess... they are losers making fuckloads of money while you are a winner complaining about everything... that makes all the perfect sense

[crackah]

let me guess... they are losers making fuckloads of money while you are a winner complaining about everything... that makes all the perfect sense

No, I dont think that its a good job they are offering. They arent making fuckloads either.

[HarveyJ]

Language, people... I know that we sprinkle the word about like the adjective, noun and verb it truly is... But you gotta keep in mind that the Yanks n Poms get pretty uptight over bad language and nipples (but no ultra violence and political graft).

And are we talking metric or imperial fuckloads?

Getting back on topic, Cobra are pretty shonky. Cobra makes plenty of money. The people employed by it don't.
They're run by the same guys that I did some telemarketing with towards the end of highschool. You know those crappy NCR brand ATMs in 7-11s? We were pushing those back in 1999, and I was the one that had the balls to make hte sales call to 7-11. Setup an appointment with an agreement to trial 50 stores. The boss himself went to seal the deal. He paid himself a commission for sales on 50 units, I got the commission for 1 sales appointment...
I argued with them for a week over it, got fed up, left, gave copies of all the shonky contracts we'd been pushing to ASEC. The company mysteriously dissolved a week later, and the guys were on Good Morning Australia 2 weeks later pushing alarm systems.

[Lambo]

network marketing if applied correctly can be extremely powerful as it gives ppl leveraged incomes.

now days theres a new school method vs the old school B.S. method that has already been outlined in the conversation above...take adavantage of the internet ppl!